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Hero's Handbook
The Hero's Handbook is an item you acquire from Tyr the Skaald (Norn), Kodan (Deldrimor), Lexx (Asura), or Gedrel of Ascalon (Ebon Vanguard). You carry it around in your inventory and fill it in by completing primary quests. Upon completion of all 16 Primary Quests you may turn it in to the race representatives mentioned above. You will receive 2,500 points towards the title track of the race you turn the book into. You do not need to turn it into the same race you got it from. You may then start a new book and redo all primary quests again for more reputation. Entries # The Beginning of the End #: Earthquakes have ripped through Tyria, Cantha, and Elona, leaving gaping fissures in the pockmarked land. In the aftermath, explorers discovered a maze of underground complexes called the Depths. In these Depths, I found Ogden Stonehealer and his Dwarven party fleeing their supply depot. Moments later, powerful, inhuman creatures called Destroyers attacked us, but we escaped with the help of an Asura named Vekk. He led us though a magical gate to the Far Shiverpeaks, a frigid land far from home. There we encountered one of the natives, a hulking Norn woman named Jora. She had little time or patience for strangers, but directed us to a great structure called the Eye of the North. After a long and arduous journey, we found several other humans at our destination, including soldiers of the Ebon Vanguard and a young Ascalonian woman named Gwen. Ogden, Vekk, and Gwen have their own ideas of what must be done next, but we will travel together. There is, as they say, strength in numbers. #* Always present in every new book. # The Missing Vanguard #: Gwen is a refugee from Ascalon and a former prisoner of the Charr. Fleeing north after her escape, she joined up with an Ascalonian unit called the Ebon Vanguard, led by Captain Langmar. The bulk of the unit has been patrolling the Charr homelands in the east. They've been raiding the Charr nar echelon and tying up forces that would otherwise be in Ascalon. Their return is long overdue, and Gwen fears the worst. Impatient and angry at the Charr, Gwen wants us to find the Ebon Vanguard. If we don't, I fear that she may go after them by herself. #* Added after completing The Missing Vanguard # Against the Charr #: In Grothmar Wardowns, we found the site of a battle between the Ebon Vanguard and a large Charr force. The Vanguard sustained heavy casualties, but we believe the bulk of their unit was captured, not killed. By following the Charr's traces, we found a large encampment. We defeated the soldiers bivouacked there, but we couldn't find human prisoners. Instead, we found a captive named Pyre Fierceshot, who seems to harbor a fierce hatred for the ruling Shamans. If we can help him rescue his warband, he's willing to help us find the Ebon Vanguard. Gwen would rather kill this Charr than look at him, but if he holds the key to rescuing the Vanguard, we should take him up on his offer. #* Added after completing Against the Charr # Warband of Brothers #: The Charr have been ruled by their Shamans, who once claimed authority granted by the Titans, their so-called gods. After the death of the Titans, the Shamans were desperate for new deities. When Pyre's warband disagreed with the choice, the heretics were captured and slated for sacrifice. We have freed Pyre's allies, and after a brutal interrogation of a priest, learned the location of the Ebon Vanguard. They're being held prisoner to the south, in Valley], where the Charr want to sacrifice them to these "new gods." Gwen grows angrier every day, lashing out at Pyre over the slightest provocation. Pyre, for his part, seems to enjoy irritating her, though I sense he sees something in Gwen's behavior that he understands all too well. #* Added after completing Warband of Brothers # Assault on the Stronghold #: Hierophant's Stronghold has fallen and Hierophant Burntsoul is dead, and the survivors of the Ebon Vanguard have been rescued. Pyre's warband and their knowledge of Charr tactics proved valuable in defeating the shamans. Instead of surrendering, Burntsoul chose to unleash the Destroyers upon us. As for Gwen, she seems better. She still hates the Charr, but she no longer lets that hatred control her. Perhaps this is what Pyre Fierceshot saw in her. The Charr view fear and anger as natural emotions, but they believe those feelings are only dangerous when they are out of control. Gwen seems in control of her fears and anger now, though I doubt she will thank Fierceshot for the lesson. #* Added after completing Assault on the Stronghold # Northern Allies #: Ogden feels our best course for survival is rallying against the Destroyers. After being chased from the Depths, I can see his point. Precious few Dwarves and humans live in this land, and the few who do aren't here to hunt monsters. The largest group of natives in the mountains are the Norn, a proud, independent race of huge, shapechanging warriors. The first Norn we met, Jora, was friendlier than most, but she has lost her ability to 'become the bear.' Because she can't change her shape, she has little status among her people, but she may be our best hope for convincing the Norn that the Destroyers are a threat. Ogden certainly hopes so. #* Added after completing Northern Allies # Curse of the Nornbear #: Jora was cursed when she entered a taboo area. She lost her shapechanging ability when her brother transformed into the monstrous Nornbear. With our aid, Jora confronted and defeated her brother. To show her gratitude, she has joined our group. Ogden is now searching for Olaf Olafson and other powerful Norn who can aid us in our quest. Jora must seek out Egil Fireteller, an elder Norn, who can teach her how to regain her honor. I think we can do both, though Ogden grows more frustrated by the day. #* Added after completing Curse of the Nornbear # A Gate Too Far #: Olaf Olafson is a typical Norn. He's willing to discuss things rationally, but he's always ready to fight to get his point across. He deigned to meet with us, but our "discussion" was interrupted by a large group of Destroyers attacking Raven's Point. Olaf traveled with us as we sought the source of this corruption. We soon discovered, as Vekk surmised, that a functioning Asura gate lies beneath a nearby shrine. Olaf is now committed to fighting the Destroyers, though he doesn't seem to care that they desecrated the shrine. He's more concerned with finding "worhwhile prey." Still, he has proven a valuable ally. Olaf also contacted the Dwarven king, Jalis Ironhammer, and the battle against the Destroyers will continue. #* Added after completing A Gate Too Far # Blood Washes Blood #: Under Egil's guidance, Jora sought to redeem her honor and her name by retaking her hearthstead. Jora's family home had been overrun by meandering Charr from the south, who left it destroyed and abandoned. We dealt with the Charr through the blessing of the bear spirit, a holy guardian of Jora's people. Despute this, Ogden is sorely disappointed. He had hoped that by helping Jora, we would recruit other Norn to our cause, but evidently, that is not the Norn way. Jora will speak to her fellow warriors, but they will all make their own decisions. #* Added after completing Blood Washes Blood # The Knowledgeable Asura #: Vekk is extremely concerned about the Destroyers, His people were driven from their underground homes by these creatures. Now the Destroyers have taken over the Central Transfer Chamber, the "hub" of many of the magical Asura gates. He believes his fellow Asura, with their "superior intellect," will come up with a viable plan to defeat the Destroyers. Finding them, however, will be a challenge. After their exodus from the Depths, many of the Asura settled along the Tarnished Coast. If we can't find a functioning gate free of Destroyers, we'll be in for a long walk. #* Added after completing The Knowledgeable Asura # Oola's Laboratory #: The Asura have strange methods of organizing themselves. To complete difficult tasks, they form "krewes." Our krewe's tas was building a superior magical device called a golem to battle the Destroyers. Before we could build the device, we needed the help of an Asura named Oola, who had squirreled herself away in the depths of her lab. After getting past her magical watchdogs, we had to use a little reverse psychology to get Oola on board. Vekk is impressed, and he's acting a little less superior as a result. #* Added after completing The Elusive Golemancer # Finding the Bloodstone #: Not all Asura are good natured. To complete our product, we had to seek out a particularly acerbic little one named Gadd, an expert on the Bloodstones. Vekk describes him as egotistically nasty, unpleasant, and insulting. That description actually compliments him a bit too much. Gadd has been working with Livia, an agent of the Shining Blades . She was hoping to learn information that would help Kryta in its civil war, but unfortunately, she had to put up with his insults along the way. Eventually, the two of them had a falling out. Livia now travels with us. Gadd doesn't seem to care, but then again, that seems his nature. #* Added after completing Finding the Bloodstone # Genius Operated Living Enchanted Manifestation #: After all of the Asuran egos were sorted out, the G.O.L.E.M. project moved along quickly. One of the Asura on the original krewe couldn't make it, so Vekk stepped in, despute his misgivings about working with Gadd. We had to defend a foundry from Destroyer forces, but we got the golems functioning in the nick of time. Our victory came at a price. Gadd recklessly exceeded the project's safety margin in his work, and he paid for that mstake with his life. At this point, I learned the reason for Vekk and Gadd's continual squabbling: they were father and son. Vekk is grieving, but the Destroyers have been driven back. Now they're less of a threat to the Tarnished Coast #* Added after completing Genius Operated Living Enchanted Manifestation # Against the Destroyers #: A threat has erupted from the Depths of Tyria. The Destroyers, merciless, mindless, destructive creatures, have emerged from teh dark heart of the earth. They've driven underground aces like the Asura to the surface, and tested the defenses of the Dwarves. The Destroyers hav overrun the asura's Central Transfer Chamber, the hub of a series of magical gates, and now threaten the entire surface world. Some of the Dwarves feel that an ultimate battle is coming, as chronicled in the Tome of Rubicon. For the moment, we need to find allies, resources, and most of all, knowledge to defeat this threat to the human lands. #* Added after completing Against the Destroyers # Destruction's Depths #: The scrying pool in the Hall of Monuments has revelaed an apocalyptic vision. With that revelation, we move towards a final battle. Vekk recognized the vision's location. it's beneath the Central Tranfer Chamber, the hub of the Asura's magical network, and Ogden says that the ultimate danger is a creature from Dwarven legend: the Great Destroyer. We have rallied what allies we could among the humans, Norn, and Asura. King Jalis himself has worked a mystic rite to invoke the power of the Great Dwarf. The ritual metamorphosed many dwarves into stone formed warriors who are now dedicated to erradicating the Destoryers. We fought our way deep into Destroyer territory and entered the Central Transfer Chamber. Now we're ready to face their destructive master. The Great Destroyer awaits. #* Added after completing Destruction's Depths # A Time for Heroes #: We have finally defeated the Great Destroyer. In the wake of this climactic battle, its minions have fallen. Just as the Central Transfer Chamber was a hub of magical gates, the Great Destroyer was the central mind of the Destroyers. Eliminating that central mind has weakend their race. Those that remain are unthinking engines of destruction that can no longer swarm in organized hives. This victory has cost us greatly. Many dwarves sacrificed their minds and their natural forms. They now pursue the surviving Destoryers deep within the earth. Yet, peace, of a sort, reigns. The sacrifice of the Dwarven race has spared the surface world the depredations of a deadly cataclysm. Peace is not eternal, I know, and there will be challenges in the years to come. We have found new peoples and new lands, and the role of mankind in this world...this creation of the gods...seems to be shrinking. I can only hope that when the next great danger arises in Tyria, whether on its surface or within its Depths, champions and heroes will once again be ready for the challenge. #* Added after completing A Time for Heroes Notes * Completing repeatable primary quests without the Handbook in your inventory will not add their entries to the Handbook. Non-repeatable primary quests such as Northern Allies will be entered in all current and future Handbooks after completing them for the first time. * You can acquire more than one Handbook by temporarily placing any Handbooks in your inventory in storage. * If you have more than one Handbook in your inventory, each entry will be added only to the first Handbook that lacks it. Trivia While a little bit of a stretch compared to the Master Dungeon Guide, the Hero's Handbook may possibly be a reference to the Player's Handbook of Dungeons & Dragons fame, from which Eye of the North has apparently borrowed somewhat. As well as having a similar name, the primary colour of the book icon is close to that of the real book.